Workers in elf hats, packed escalators beneath giant glittering ornaments, weary shoppers crouched under signs screaming “50% off everything” – 18 hours into Black Friday sales, Hamilton Place mall was still buzzing.
Driven by early hours at department stores, the mall threw open its doors starting at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. That’s two hours earlier than last year, and seems to have translated into a less hectic Black Friday, marketing director Catharine Wells said.
Outside Forever 21, Norm Teske, 47, of Chattanooga, waited for his 14- and 12-year-old daughters to finish shopping. His family arrived around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
People walk between stores in Hamilton Place Mall.“With Black Fridays these days, I don’t think you have to get up and stay out all night to get the deals,” Teske said.
National analysts agree. Many stores reported that Thursday sales cut down on the pre-dawn shopping invasion.